Softener finally installed, now for some setup questions

My parents were kind enough to order the system parts that I needed for my softener install, and I spent a few weeks planning and ordering pipe components ready for the install (installation discussions in other threads here and here). I spent most of yesterday doing the install and it's all working, and best of all... no leaks!

The softeners system is as follows:

Fleck 7000SXT

2.5 cuft resin in 13 x 54 tank

1-1/4" connections (same size as my incoming line)

18 x 40 with Salt Grid brine tank

The 7000SXT has 0.25 GPM BLFC & 3.5 GPM DLFC, and was initially set up with these settings:

DF: GAL

VT: St2b

CT: Fd

C: 80,000

H: 27

RS: SF

SF: 15

DO: 14

RT: 2:00

BW: 10

BD: 60

BW: 5

RR: 10

BF: 50

FM: t1.5

I think I'm happy with most of the settings, but this assumes that the resin truly has an 80,000 grain capacity, and also works on the basis of 15 lb/cuft resin regeneration.

I have therefore now changed my 'C' setting to 60,000 and my 'BF' setting to 27.

Finally, I did run into a pretty serious problem, that I think I should point out for other new softener users like myself...

My system was pre-configured assuming a regeneration of 37.5lb salt / 12.5 gallons water, and a salt grid with 6" extensions raising it to nearly 12" off the base of the tank! Even with a Brine Feed of 12.5 gallons, it's questionable if the water would effectively dissolve the required salt, but with my reduced 20lb / 6.66 Gallons, the water level was way lower than the salt grid.

First question then is... does this all look right so far?

Following this, I have a couple of other questions related to these settings:

I assume that the size of the mineral tank, and the amount of salt used determines the durations set for BW, BD, Second BW and RR; What would be sensible settings for these and my system?

What exactly is happening during these different stages of regeneration, and why choose the values in the above question?

Finally, I did run into a pretty serious problem, that I think I should point out for other new softener users like myself...

My system was pre-configured assuming a regeneration of 37.5lb salt / 12.5 gallons water, and a salt grid with 6" extensions raising it to more than 10" off the base of the tank! Even with a Brine Feed of 12.5 gallons, it's questionable if the water would effectively dissolve the required salt, but with my reduced 20lb / 6.66 Gallons, the water level was way lower than the salt grid.

I was able to rectify the situation by removing the 6" extension legs from the bottom of the salt grid, and the water level is now well above the grid level. Anyone buying a large system and running it efficiently beware!

Looking at your suggested changes, I will be saving 11 minutes x 3.5 = 38.5 Gallons per regeneration; not insignificant. I'll make the changes before the next cycle.

Can you explain why (besides a wealth of experience) you would recommend reducing these values? I do trust you, I'd just like to learn as well as follow when I'm taking advice.

My understanding is:

B1: The first backwash is to stir up the resin, removing any possible channeling that's taken place, and also make sure that any un-used resin is mixed around rather than being all at the top of the tank.

BD: The brine is then drawn through the tank along with some water, and then the resin is slowly rinsed for the remaining time after the brine tank has been emptied.

BW: The second backwash again mixes up the resin, so that the recharged resin is evenly distributed.

RR: The Rapid Rinse is intended to remove any left over brine and impurities and setting the resin ready for operation.

B1: The first backwash is to stir up the resin, removing any possible channeling that's taken place, and also make sure that any un-used resin is mixed around rather than being all at the top of the tank.

The first backwash removes sediment from the bed as well as removing any broken resin beads and... . This cycle is defaulted for most systems at 10 minutes so the unit will operate properly in 95+% of applications. Most people with little to no sediment will shorten this cycle. This can be reduced further but it is not recommended. I have installed systems where all the water had to be trucked off site so we turn off this cycle, years and years later, everything is still working fine.

BD: The brine is then drawn through the tank along with some water, and then the resin is slowly rinsed for the remaining time after the brine tank has been emptied. This can be adjusted by you to be much shorter or longer depending on the system design. You would normally set the brine/rinse cycles to be 1/3 draw, 2/3 slow rinse. This is just a guideline,

BW: The second backwash again mixes up the resin, so that the recharged resin is evenly distributed.

The second backwash is beneficial for lower salt settings as it mixes the regenerated resin lessening the hardness leakage common with ultra low salt settings. Many systems do not incorporate a second backwash. I prefer a short second backwash.

RR: The Rapid Rinse is intended to remove any left over brine and impurities and setting the resin ready for operation.

the fast rinse Is not used to get rid of any leftover salt, this is the job of the slow rinse cycle. It packs the resin bed and ensures soft water as soon as the system goes back into service.

Throughout this whole process, you've been extremely helpful indeed, and I feel that I now have a system where I haven't cut corners, and was able to make educated choices on installation and component choice. I am also some way to understanding the processes involved and the settings used.